I spent most of today frantically packing, paying bills and buying salami for my dad for my trip back home to The Singapores, but I figured I could spare a bit of time to show you the incredibly sophisticated WebJet map my online flight booking provided. I suppose when I read the awe inspired description with a fancy service name to boot I was expecting something a little more… fancy? :)
A great example of how you can use Google Maps to represent information in a far more interesting way than simply presenting a dry list of locations. The Adelaide Advertiser has plotted a map of Christmas light displays around the metro area of Adelaide.
ASIDE: It makes far more sense for The Adelaide Advertiser to plot maps of Christmas light displays in Adelaide than if The Adelaide Advertiser plotted a map of Christmas light displays around Northern Siberia. I’m just saying.
You can view the full Google Map here.
UPDATE: As of February 2009 this Google Map no longer appears to exist. Welcome to the transient nature of the internet I guess.
ASIDE: This is not a paid advertisement, despite it reading as such. Having something go well for me is a big thing you see!
After several weeks of disastrous encounters with phone companies (Telstra and Virgin Mobile, I’m looking at you guys!) something has finally gone well: I’m typing this post from our newly established Internode ADSL connection!
Internode (Wikipedia link) is a local, Adelaide based internet service provider that, unlike other ISPs in Australia I’ve had experience with, have two very important things going for them: their heads are screwed on and their arses aren’t on fire! We went from applying for a connection from scratch, to having a modem and working connection in less 4 days.
What blew me away even more than their timeliness (is that a word?) was their customer support. When we registered online, I chose the option to pick up the modem from their office in the CBD instead of waiting for a courier delivery. Getting the train into the city from Mawson Lakes only takes 20 minutes or so, and I figured I might as well save the $15 and grab a bite to eat. What, I’m not allowed to eat? I’m only human.
When I arrived in the city, I went to their office to get the connection finalised and collect the modem:
Compared to Netspace that sent Kevin Tan and I a faulty modem back in 2005 and took a whopping two months to get connected as a result, and TPG Australia that took over three weeks, this was fantastic! Virgin Mobile Broadbandget a clue!
ASIDE: If you didn’t read my adventure with Virgin Mobile’s Wireless Broadband service, they wouldn’t let me register before I provided an Australian bank statement as "capacity to pay". My Singaporean bank accounts and credit cards were useless despite them meeting the minimum requirements and then some. Fine with me, I took my business elsewhere!
Internode House on Grenfell St, from Google Maps street view
As a free and open source software advocate (no, me, really?) what really impresses me about Internode is that they’re also an officially licenced mirror of SourceForge, meaning when I download software I’m getting it from a server that’s geographically next door, and doesn’t count towards the monthly quota. They also have another comprehensive local software mirror that includes amongst other software… FreeBSD ISO images :-).
Unfortunately as I elaborated in a previous post, our local telephone exchange’s DSLAM isn’t ADSL2+ ready, meaning we’re stuck with 8Mb/s 40GiB-limit plan until at least the end of the year. Telstra trying to get to me again it seems… what an oven of stupid grilled cheese sandwiches.
ASIDE: What’s the collective term for grilled cheese sandwiches? Chuck Peddle?
I'm Ruben Schade, welcome to my labour of love mix of tech, anime, thoughts and nonsense from Singapore and Australia. Thanks for stopping by.
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